The invention relates generally to wire feeding systems, and, more particularly, to wire feed drive systems.
Welding is a process that has become increasingly ubiquitous in various industries and applications. While such processes may be automated in certain contexts, a large number of applications continue to exist for manual welding operations. Such welding operations rely on a variety of control schemes to ensure the supply of welding consumables (e.g., wire feed, shielding gas, etc.) is provided to the weld in an appropriate amount at the desired time. For example, metal inert gas (MIG) welding relies on a proper welding wire feed rate to prevent weld splatter and arc outage. In many instances, a proper wire feed may be defined by parameters such as wire feed speed, consistency of the wire feed, and so forth.
To ensure that a proper wire feed is maintained throughout a welding operation, a wire drive system is typically utilized to unspool wire from a wire spool and to feed the wire to a welding torch. Such wire drive systems may include drive rollers that grip the wire, pull the wire off the wire spool, and push the wire toward the welding torch. Unfortunately, since there is typically a small contact area between the drive rolls and the wire, a substantial force is applied to the wire during feeding. Such a force may lead to deformation of the wire, and can even cause the wire to break, or result in small wire shavings being separated from the moving wire strand. These shavings may become lodged inside components of the welding system, such as the welding torch, compromising the quality of the weld. Accordingly, there exists a need for improved wire feeding systems that overcome such limitations.